It's true that Col. Bruce isn't a "household name." He's been playing music for decades but has remained more of a cult figure than an established star. Yet he has a lot of friends in the music business nevertheless.

He's always been on the outer edge. Out there. He's influenced and played with some of the real heavy weights (Zappa). He's also the human spawnig ground of talented players with names like Derek, Oteil, Jimmy H, Bobby, Tyler, Ted, .... That, and he can guess your age.

____________________Music is love, and love is music, if you know what I mean.
People who believe in music are the happiest people I've ever seen.

Bill Ector, Randy Stephens, Dan Hills and a guy named BobO who I never met - Forever in my heart!

He (more than any other musician I've known) has the abliity to help others make the most of their talent. Oteil, Derek, Jimmy, and many others have said over and over that it was Bruce who showed them how to reach their potential.

He is truly a legend among musicians and a cult hero among the rest of us.

As a friend once said, Bruce's sloppy demeanor is merely a clever disguise ...

Yeah, I got a new tune in composition entitled "The Thrill." And it goes somethin' like this: "I stand on the hill, not for a thrill, but for the breath of a fresh kill. Never mind the man who contemplates doin' away with license plates. He stands alone, anyhow, bakin' the cookies of discontent by the heat of the laundromat vent. Leavin' his soul!" Then like in poetry I go dot-dot-dot, you know, kinda off center, then I drop down and then I go: "Leavin' his soul! And partin' the waters of the medulla oblongata of - -brrrrrr! - -mankind!" That was a damn good song, wasn't it Doyle? - That's why we love the Col.!!!

I wish the old HTW site was archived someplace. I asked Butch once (when he still participated in the boards regularly) what his recollections were of playing with the Hampton Grease Band back in the day, and he had a couple good stories. I'll be damned if I can remember them though.....

God bless the colonel!!! A true piece of work in the best sense of the phrase. His Hampton's Grease Band opened for the Allman Brothers when they played here in Cincinnati at the famous Ludlow Garage concerts.

From what I've heard about his talent of picking birhtday
it's no guess at all
it's dead on
and if ya can figure that little trick out
then ya probably can say you understand where he's coming from,
maybe

^ As I said...
Yeah, I got a new tune in composition entitled "The Thrill." And it goes somethin' like this: "I stand on the hill, not for a thrill, but for the breath of a fresh kill. Never mind the man who contemplates doin' away with license plates. He stands alone, anyhow, bakin' the cookies of discontent by the heat of the laundromat vent. Leavin' his soul!" Then like in poetry I go dot-dot-dot, you know, kinda off center, then I drop down and then I go: "Leavin' his soul! And partin' the waters of the medulla oblongata of - -brrrrrr! - -mankind!" That was a damn good song, wasn't it Doyle? - That's why we love the Col.!!!

Coincidentally Bruce called me tonight and I asked him the above question. He got a charge out of it and gave me several responses. Why are so many world-class players drawn to you, Bruce?

1. Because I give great head.
2. Because I feed them lots of fatty food. Anyone want a pancake?
3. Because I give them their freedom, so they can be themselves. Too many musicians have never had that, even in their own band.
4. Because I drive a truck.

I've seen him a twice with the Code Talkers, I still don't get it. From reading the above posts, I've gathered that it has nothing to do with his ability to play. Seems he's more of a psychologist, someone able to get you to open up and give you the freedom to "be all that you can be". (see how I worked in the Colonel/military thing)

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